Meticulously hand-copied by the imperial court of the Ming dynasty
The Yongle Collection of Qin Books is an official compilation of writings on qin (zither) drawn from historical text during the early Ming dynasty. However, the full official collection was never printed, and the only surviving copy is the 20-volume first collection preserved by the National Palace Museum.
The Yongle Collection of Qin Books is a quintessential example of early Ming imperial copies. Its format is spacious, with clean, fine-textured paper. The frames are printed in vivid vermilion ink using carved blocks, and each volume is bound as a single book, handwritten in meticulous regular script by one or two scribes. The calligraphy emulates the refined and elegant style of Shen Du (1357–1434), who is known for his taige style. Some sections of this work include diagrams and tablature, which are exquisitely crafted. All pages are polished, giving them a smooth and visually pleasing appearance.
The Yongle Encyclopedia includes references to the Ming Dynasty Yongle Collection of Qin Books under the “qin” (琴) entry in the “flat tone” rhyme “qin” (侵), encompassing 23 volumes (i.e., volumes 9,512 to 9,534), which represent the entirety of the original compilation. In 1441, the Catalogue of Books in the Wenyuan Library lists the Newly Compiled Collection of Qin Books in 32 volumes, which are marked as “incomplete” and likely an expanded edition. The Cabinet Library Catalogue, dated 1605, records a hand-copied version of the Yongle Collection of Qin Books in 25 volumes, noted as “incomplete” and stating, “Originally 30 volumes, now 5 are missing.” By the early Qing dynasty, The Catalogue of the Thousand Qing Hall notes only 20 surviving volumes, which are divided into the First and Second Collections. Based on these records, it can be inferred that the original collection was expanded into First and Second Collections with a total of 40 volumes after being incorporated into the Yongle Encyclopedia. Surviving as a unique manuscript for over six centuries, this work has suffered incremental losses, further highlighting its rarity and significance.